There are numerous causes of woman suffering from pigmentation: melasma due to hormonal changes in pregnancy, menopause or taking the oral contraceptive pill. Long standing burns or acne scars can also cause pigmentation over time; chronic UV exposure and genetics are other factors which increase the formation of melanin.

Treatment process:

A physician-grade exfoliating mask is applied (Cosmelan 1) in the clinic, which you will rinse off at home after 6-8 hours. This is followed by using homecare creams, such as Cosmelan 2 and Hydra Vital Factor K, to further enhance the whitening process at home. These creams act in conjunction with Cosmelan 1 to maintain the whitening process, as well as moisturising and renewing your skin. There will be mild redness and flaking of skin around days 3-7. It is important to keep the skin moisturised and you will need to use a sunblock in the daytime at all times. A follow up appointment 7 days later is essential for me to assess and advise on your skincare regime, followed by regular follow-up appointments for review of your skin condition.

Cosmelan Depigmentation can treat melasma (hormonal related pigmentation), or pigmentation from old scars, or even acne. There is no age or gender restriction, and can be used all year round, for the face, dbr
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Although chloasma is just a common skin disorder, this can be a real cosmetic issue for women because the discoloration of the skin is found on the sun-exposed area of the face. This also affects the face symmetrically, particularly in the cheeks, nose, forehead and upper lip. For pregnant women, the skin brownish blotches appears in their forearms and other body areas that are exposed to the sun. Also, pregnancy increases melanin production that is why pregnant women are more exposed to skin discoloration especially at the latter stage of the pregnancy period. Further, studies show that 70% of pregnant women are affected with chloasma. In fact, three out of the four pregnant women experiences the darkening of the skin tone during pregnancy. Moreover, one third of women who took birth control pills or oral contraceptives have the same skin changes because of the amount of estrogen and progesterone intake during birth control.

Since skin discoloration is not just for pregnant women, can we in any ways avoid masked by chloasma? Check out the following tips:

1. Protection against the sun is still the leading prevention against chloasma. We still need sun exposure, best in the early morning but sun exposure from midday? Think twice! Make sure that you do not expose yourself to sun more often than necessary.

2. You can use sunscreen everyday as this also prevents skin cancer and wrinkles. Use sunscreens with broad-spectrum protection or against both UVA and UVB rays. Use protection not only during sunny days but whenever you are outdoors. Apply strong sunscreen if you are outdoors. Make use of even a handy umbrella, it is your last option when all shades are gone.

3. You may try using concealing make-ups. Another options are the skin care products that have combination of tretinoin cream or bleaching creams that contain hydroquinone. However, always consult your dermatologist before trying out these products or you may want to solicit an experts medical opinion on this.

4. Be cautious in using birth control pills after your pregnancy. Consult your doctor immediately if you noticed changes in your skin tone. You might consider switching to another birth control option.

5. Ask referral from your doctor for a dermatologist if you noticed that your skin tone is still darkening and blotchy after your pregnancy. You may want to try alternative medications from your dermatologist like combinations of tropical medications etc.

6. If you are planning to become pregnant soon or again, continue to protect your skin against the sun and make sure that you consult your doctor before trying out any medical treatment.

7. When you notice any changes in your skin tone, immediately consult your doctor for possible symptoms of skin cancer or other medical problems. In that case, appropriate treatment will be made if deemed necessary.

Since skin discoloration affects anyone, it is recommended that we take care of our skin and make sure that we do not expose ourselves in too much sunlight. For pregnant women, it is expected that after the pregnancy, skin discoloration will eventually disappear. It is true that we have various skin care products that would help us protect our skins. However, we must always consider the fact that these skin care products cannot replace personal care specifically, sun exposure avoidance.br
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Freckles are brown spots on face especially on nose and cheeks which common in individuals with fair complexion. They might be as small as a pinhead or slightly bigger. They can be round or flat. Melanocytes are cells located in the lowest layer of our skin called epidermis. Melanocytes produce pigment called melanin, which is secreted when skin gets exposed to sun to protect the skin from ultra violet rays.

Uneven distribution of melanin causes its excessive secretion in some patches resulting in formation of brown spots known as freckles. They might get reduced when exposed to cold weather but increase when skin gets exposed to high temperature. As a result in some cases freckles may fade away completely in winters and gradually return in summers. Freckles also fade away with age. Tanning causes rapid increase in production of melanin thus causing increased number of freckles around cheeks and on nose.

MYTH: FRECKLES ARE CANCEROUS
No, freckles are NOT cancerous. They are just a form of pigmentation due to over production of melanin in the skin. Most of the times it is difficult to distinguish between freckles and brown spots. Visit a dermatologist before going in for any kind of treatment to know whether the appeared pigmentation is freckles or brown spots. Brown spots can be pre cancerous or cancerous.
Treatments suggested for freckles

Laser Treatment-Laser treatment can be opted for as the freckles melanin pigment absorbs the rays of laser light easily thus fading away slowly.

Sun Screen – As exposure to the sun is the prime reason behind the occurrence of freckles, it gets mandatory to wear a strong sunscreen lotion to avoid the ultra violet rays from penetrating into the epidermal layer of the skin.

Cryosurgery: Though this method is not very often used for removal of freckles but in some cases individuals have been seen opting for this surgery. Liquid nitrogen is applied on the affected areas with a pray gun or a cotton tip. But sometimes it causes appearance of permanent white spots due to long and direct contact with nitrogen.

Bleaching creams: Bleaching creams can be used to minimize freckles on the skin. Problem related with the use of bleaching creams is that it bleaches the entire skin thus resulting in same colour difference between the pigmented skin and normal skin. Retin-A is recommended to minimize the occurrence of freckles, as it tends to normalize the pigmentation.

Above mentioned methods can free your skin from brown spots thus enabling you to have a beautiful and clean face.

Article Written by Chitra Atolia

Expert writer on health. For more details visit http://www.T3.Rapidmile.com.

A glossy golden brown tan to set off toned limbs – that’s the stuff which the young fashion-conscious dreams are made of. The pursuit of that bronzed, sun-kissed look has led to an influx of sun worshippers in bikinis, board shorts, and bare chests congregating at the beaches. But just how much do they know about the dangers associated with excessive sun exposure?

A lot of youths are adventurous, fun loving and are passionate about sports. This may just cause them to overlook the necessity of proper sun protection. While many outdoor sports like soccer, wakeboarding, windsurfing etc are undoubtedly beneficial to health, the risks of excessive sun exposure to the participants are also very real.

Sun Damage

The sun emits 3 types of ultraviolet (UV) rays: UVA, UVB and UVC. Only UVA and UVB rays reach the earth’s surface because UVC is filtered out by the ozone layer.

UVA penetrates deeply into the skin and triggers the production of melanin, which is a pigment in our body that causes skin to tan. UVB primarily affects the skin’s outer layer and causes sunburn. UV rays are thought to be responsible for chronic photo-aging (cluster of skin conditions like hyper pigmentation, wrinkles and sagging skin), and skin cancer.

Sunburn is one of the short-term damages of sun exposure. It ranges from redness and pain to redness and swelling, and in some serious cases, blisters can occur.

Frequent sunburns have been associated with increased risks of getting skin cancers. There are 3 common types of skin cancers: squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and malignant melanoma.

Most SCC and BCC cases are caused by chronic exposure to sunlight. These tumors appear most commonly on sun-exposed areas like the face, hands, back, shoulders and lower lip. SCC tumors are irregular and fleshy growths that can enlarge and break down into ulcers.

BCC tumors are often shiny and pigmented, with raised borders. The Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF) in New York, USA, estimates that some 800,000 and 200,000 Americans suffer from BCC and SCC annually respectively.

Malignant melanoma is cancer of the skin’s pigment cells. It may form in pre-existing moles, where pigmentation is heavily concentrated. The tumors are presented as large, thick and colored (red, blue or black) patches that grow rapidly, with irregular outlines. The SCF estimates that about 51,000 new cases of malignant melanoma are reported annually in the USA.

On a less fatal note, exposure to bright light can also trigger migraines and headaches, for up to 24 hours. Melasma is another UV-related skin disorder characterized by symmetrical brown pigmentation patches in UV-exposed areas and affects women 90% of the time.

Block Out the Sun

Much as knowledge of sun exposure dangers is important, knowing how to minimize risks is even more essential. Techniques to minimize damage from sun rays can be divided into those to do with behavior and those to do with fabrics.

Behavior wise, sun-lovers can refrain from carrying out high-risk activities between 10am and 4pm, when the sun’s rays are the strongest. On a general note, try to keep in the shade while going about normal activities.

Fabrics that are sun-protective have tight weaves and are dark-colored. To test for a tight weave, hold the garment about 7 inches from your eyes towards a light source. If visible light can penetrate holes between the threads, so can UV rays. Dark colors absorb harmful UV rays better than light-colored clothes and hence protect the skin better.

To protect the face, sunscreen is essential, preferably one with at least Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 20. Reliable brands include Sunkiller, La Roche-Posay and Coppertone. If sun exposure time is expected to be long, then a sunscreen of higher SPF of 45 or 60 is recommended. One often-neglected directive is to reapply sunscreen frequently throughout the day, as sweat or friction may have washed it away. For the eyes, sunglasses with UV-protective coating are advised.

Alternative Tones

Fashion-conscious youths who covet a tan but are afraid of increasing their skin cancer risks have started to frequent tanning salons. This misguided attempt only reduces the incidence of sunburn and not skin cancer, warns Dr Wong, an associate consultant dermatologist with the National Skin Centre of Singapore.

“In fact, by going to tanning salons, you are exposed to unnecessary excessive UVA, which may increase your risk of getting skin cancer as it is primarily UVA-mediated.”

One relatively harmless alternative to sun tanning is to use self-tanning lotions. These contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA), which reacts with proteins in dead skin cells on the skin surface to result in brown pigmentation, which becomes the tan. While self-tanning lotions, like other topical products, have been known to cause skin irritation, no adverse long-term effects have been recorded.

As we welcome the warm, sunny weather, do keep in mind the relevant risks and precautions. Being cautious when young may just save you lots of heartache and pain in later years.

Do you know what is the biggest enemy of skin’s natural fairness? The answer is simple: black enzymes.

Do you know that Asian skin is more prone to dark spots? Skin color is determined by the amount of pigment (or melanin) present. Asian skin contains a heterogeneous mix of 2 types of melanin – phaeomelanin and eumelanin – that results in pigmentation irregularities such as dark spots and increased sensitivity to sunlight.

Over the past years, aesthetics companies and medical professionals have been introducing numerous skin whitening innovations into the consumer market, ranging from high-end niche treatments to budget skin whitening solutions, all of which promise to deliver that desirable lightening result on your skin, to give you that lovely fair skin that you have always wanted.

When it comes to fashion, you choose what fits you. With such an overwhelming range of skin whitening options available, how do you decide which is the real effective skin whitening solution that is going to work for you? Savvy consumers will know that it is not sufficient to just choose the best skin whitening product / treatment, you have to choose the skin whitening product / treatment that works best for you.

Consumers can consider the following guidelines when they are looking for a skin whitening remedy or are already in the midst of a skin whitening course:

1. Identify your problem

- There are many types of facial pigmentation. The most common types are freckles, solar lentigines (or age spots), melasma and Hori’s naevus. Many have a genetic basis, although factors like sunlight, ageing and hormones also play an important role. By identifying the source of your problem, you will know how to pick out the product / treatment that is going to help you rectify it.

2. Have some basic knowledge about skin whitening ingredients

- Every company has its own specialty skin whitening ingredients that are responsible for delivering that miracle on your skin. But how do you know that some of these virtually unknown ingredients are going to do the trick? A savvy consumer should not be going to a counter and take at face value in what the salesperson says during that 10 – 20 minutes of sales talk. Instead, listen to the salesperson, take a step back, do some simple research on the ingredients or talk to your dermatologist to see if this particular skin whitening product is going to be useful in solving your problem. There is no point buying a product whose only effects are to moisturize and provide your skin with UV protection when what you actually need is a product that can lighten melasma.

3. Be a responsible consumer

- Broadly speaking, it is possible to prevent / reduce skin pigmentation because many types of pigmentation are induced and aggravated by sunlight, therefore a suitable product and sufficient sun protection can delay the onset of skin pigmentation or improve the appearance. Using a skin lightening product may help improve the pigmentation, but regular use of sunscreen and active sun avoidance is also compulsory and should be undertaken responsibly.

4. Understand that not every product / treatment works for everyone

- Topical skin lightening products are effective for melasma. However, laser therapy does not work very well for melasma. In fact, laser may sometime cause temporary darkening (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation), which can last several months. On the other hand, laser therapy is effective for pigmentation such as freckles, solar lentigines and Hori’s naevus.

5. Talk to a medical professional when necessary

- Besides sunlight, certain types of pigmentation – specifically melasma and Hori’s naevus – can be stimulated and worsened by hormonal factors, for example during pregnancy, taking oral contraceptives or hormone replacement. In such cases, topical skin whitening products will not be able to rectify the problems effectively. Instead of hopping from one product to another and exposing your skin to further damages, talk to a medical professional who will advise the appropriate treatment options for you. Solve the problem when it is at the early stage, not when it gets out of hand.